Storage cabinet for ice cream and the like



March 29, 1938. w. P. cRlsMAN 2,112,482

STORAGE CABINET FOR ICE 'R `Filed Aug. 16, 19.37 2 Sheets-Sheet l www/#WWW my 5 @wx/WWW v March 29, 1938.

w. P. cRlsMAN STORAGE CABINET FOR ICE CREAM AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 16, 1937 2 Shee'tS-Sheeb 2 Patented Mar. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE William P. Crisman, Takoma Park, Md., assigner to Southern Dairies,

Inc., Washington, D. C.,

a corporation of Delaware Application August 16,

13 Claims.

This' invention relates to cold storage cabinets and more particularly to those types of cabinets which are used for ice cream service in retail stores.

In my copending application Serial No. 131,077 I have described and claimed a cabinet of the two-high receptacle type in which is incorporated means for supporting the receptacles of the upper tier and facilitating access to the receptacles of l the lower tier. As explained in thatapplication, ice cream and the like is kept in bulk in such cabinets, under refrigeration, and the cream is dipped from cans or other receptacles' as customers call for it. Until comparatively recently, it was customary to stock the cabinets with ice cream in five-gallon cans, but the best present practice substitutes two-and-one-half gallon cans to provide a Wider range of available flavors andl kinds of ice cream and analogous goods and to permit emptying and replenishment of the cans at shorter intervals so that the stock on hand is always comparatively new and fresh.

The two-and-one-half-gallon cans are commonly of the same diameter and of approximately one-half the height of the five-gallon cans. Used in the same cabinets, the shorter cans are stacked two high, and inasmuch as the cabinets invariably have closed sides and bottoms and are provided with top openings only, it has been necessary to provide means for rendering the cans in the lower zone of the cabinet conveniently accessible to an attendant reaching throughv the top opening. Unless some such special means beV provided it would be necessary, 7, in the case of a well filled cabinet, bodily to remove from the cabinet an upper can to reach a lower one, and this is manifestly inconvenient, unsanitary, time-consuming, and wasteful of refrigeration. l

In my copending application above identified I disclosed a cabinet provided with means for rendering the -low'ei cans or goods readily accessible through the top opening. The present invention provides a different type of means for this purpose, having certain advantages over my earlier construction and over the best of the prior art devices with which I am acquainted, among which advantages the following may be mentioned:

The new construction excels in simplicity, low cost and ease of installation. For use in cabinets of multiple width, containing cans in two or more longitudinally extending rows set aside by side, the new construction is superior to any other cabinet of which I am aware. Its internal 1937, serial No. 159,384

(c1. s2-e9) structure, including each pair of superposed cans, occupies a minimum of vertical space with the parts at rest and requires no additional vertical space when the parts are moved to gain access to a lower can, so that the new construction can be installed in cabinets vhaving insufficient internal depth to accommodate the prior devices. This is a feature of particular importance in the case of certain rebuilt cabinets, as will be explained hereinafter. The present invention also includes a further feature which I believe to be broadly new in refrigerating cabinets generally, i. e., a horizontal partition substantially completely separating the upper and lower zones of the cabinet when the parts are in normal position so that heat transfer by convection from one zone to the other is substantially prevented. 'I'his arrangement minimizes the inter-zone temperature differential, reduces refrigerating losses, and by permitting the maintenance of more equable temperatures and more accurate control thereof lessens the depreciating effects of storage on the products in the cans.

Additional objects are concerned with gener ally improving the accessibility of the cabinet contents, particularly the cans in the lower zone thereof, preventing adhesion of the cans to the can supporting elements and ancillary structure, preventing undesired movement of the cans, particularly while dippingthrusts arebeing made into their contents, maintaining the cans in accurate alignment with the top openings of the cabinet, and in eiecting other and further advantages which will sufliciently appear from 'the description hereinafter of the invention in certain preferred forms of embodiment.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings, and will now proceed to describe, certain embodiments of the invention which are at present preferred by me since the same have been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results in accomplishing all the objects set forth hereinabove, as well as others.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan View, partly broken away to show the interior of a cabinet provided with an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one vform of receptacle-supporting tray;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a receptacle-supporting tray with one portion in raised position;

vFig. 6 is a cross sectional view of a modied form of receptacle-supporting tray; and

Fig. 'I is a cross sectional view of a further modified form of receptacle-supporting tray.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral I designatesgenerally a cold storage cabinet of familiar form and widespread use inretail outlets for 'ice cream and the like. The cabinet construction is oldper se and consists of 'an in- 10 sulated box having closed sides, ends and bottom, top openings 2 closed by lids 3, and a coil or other refrigerating means 4 positioned in heat exchange relation with the cabinet interior, as by being built into the cabinet walls. The illustrated cabinet isof approximately forty gallons capacity, being capable of accommodating eight five-gallon cans or sixteen two-and-one-half-gallon cans or the equivalent thereof. The cans are arranged in two horizontally. adjacent longitudinally extending rows, and eight top openings are provided,` each aligned with one of the five-gallon cans or the equivalent space. As I have explained, in the preferredvpr'esent day use of these cabinets half size cans stacked two high are substituted for \;the full size cans formerly used. According to the-present invention as many as twelve twoand one-half-gallon -cans may be used in lieu of the eight five-gallons cans. In the drawings the lower cans are designated 5, and the upper cans are designated 9. In the illustrated example, twelve rather than sixteen half size cans or their equivalents are used because the 'cans of the uppervtier of each row are intended to be moved to provide access to the cans or space in the lower 96 tier, and to accommodate such movement a blank or unoccupied space equal to the volume of one can must be provided in the upper tier for each pair of cans in the lower tier. These unoccupied `spaces are designated 1 in the drawings.

40 T0 support the cans 9 of the'upper tier I provide a series of trays 8, one for each can of the upper tier, each tray overlying a pair of adjacent cans 5 of the lower tier. Each tray comprises two similar portions 9, 9 hinged together at III, and

each portion -is preferably square in planand capable of completely covering a can 5 of the lower tier andsupporting a can 6 of the upper tier.' In a multiple row cabinet, like that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the trays may be arranged 5o crosswise of the cabinet. In a single row cabinet they would necessarily extend longitudinally and of course even in a multiple row'cabinet they may be arranged longitudinally, with adjacent trays s et sideby side across the width of the cabinet, but I prefer 4the arrangementA shown.

'I'he hinge II--is constructed to permit either portion 9 to be raised to or slightly beyond the vertical, as shownin Fig. 5 and in the case of the third tray from the -left in Figs. l and 2. The

90 trays support'the cans of the upper tier, one can l on each tray, and thetrays are themselves supby or over the cans l of the lower tier.

It ,is simpler and more economical. of vertical Space to rest the 'traysdirectly onthecans 5 and i this'arrangement is to be preferred in some'cases. It isl of particular utility in the case of certain rebuilt cabinets, ofwhich there are now vlarge numbers in use, in which a repositioning` of the refrigerating elements. hasf reduced the vertical 70 space to just slightly more than enough to accommodate two two-and-one-half-gallon cans. Interposition of the slight thickness o fa tray l does not elevate the top of an-upper can i too high to nt within such acabinet', and this 75 economy of vertical space is therefore a very and abut the floor of the valuable and important feature of the present invention. In other cabinets, where vertical space limitation is not a factor, the trays may be supported on means other than the lower cans, as` by brackets or the like extending from the bottoni or side walls of the cabinet, and this expedient may be adopted Where it is desired to replace one or more of the lowercans by an open lower zone space capable of accommodating packages of brick ice cream, boxes of ice cream bars, or allied loose goods.

In using the' invention, it isevident that access to any can of the upper tier may be had by simply removing the appropriate lid 3. Any can of the lower tier which happens to be beneath an unoccupied portion 9 of a tray 8 may'be reached by raising that portion 9. To reach a can of the lower tier which is covered by a portion 9 which happens to be occupied by a can 6, -the can 9 is slid over on to the companion portion 9 and the then unoccupied portion 9 is raised to expose the desired lower can' 5. To facilitate this latter operation certain features are desirably incorporated in the trays as follows:

(1) The hinge I0 is disposed so as not to project upwardly above the surface on which the can rests. In this way no obstruction is offered to the free and easy sliding movement of the can from one portion 9 to the other.

(2) Skid rails or tracks may be formed on the can-engaging surfaces of the portions 9 to minimize theareas of the can and tray surfaces in contact and reduce the stickigjconsequentupon the freezing of condensationY on these surfaces.

In Figs. 4 and 6 I show suggested forms ofA such ator to lift a portion which does no t support a can but which covers a lower can to which access is desired. A*

(5) It is desirable to provide some sort of means to limit the angle through which the lifted portion may be moved, so as toprevent-its collapsing on the companion portion when it is raised and l there is no can supported on the tray. 0f course, when a can is on the tray, the raised portion will rest against that can; Such a means is shown in Figa-3 and 5, where the side flanges I3 are bevelled at theirinner ends. 'Ihese ends may abut each other to limit the angle of the raised portion, -or they may beA formed in parallel, adjacentv planes, so as to clear eachother companion portion of the tray.'A Y N (6) The portions 9 are preferably imperforate and their edges extend beyond the perlpheries of the lower cans.' In this way the lower cans, which are preferably without lids, arev protectd from contamination by dirt, frost and the like 'which might otherwise drop into them. Any such forheign matter which ands'- its way into thecabinet will be caughtv by the trays` and either be retained thereon orbe shed therefrom at the hinge Il or the ends thereof when a portion' l is raised. It is evident that matter dropped from these' points cannot enter the cans but will fall tween them.

Ivcome now to an explanation of the refrigerating and temperature advantages referred to hereinabove. -In actual practice adjacent trays 8 are in edge abutting relation or substantially so, and the side and end walls of the cabinet are engaged or substantially enga-ged by certain edges'of the trays adjacent thereto, although in Figs. 1 and 2 I have, in order to clarify the disclosure, exaggerated the spacings. That is to say, in actual practice all of the trays together,

when the portions 9 thereof are all in horizontal position, which is their normal condition, extend substantially continuously from end wall to end wall and from side wall toside Wall of the cabinet and constitute a partition separating the upper zone of the cabinet from the lower. This provides an effective and'valuable barrier to interzone heat transfer by convection currents of air and results in a distinct improvement' in temperature conditions within the cabinet, as will be evident from the following considerations:

Ice cream begins to melt at about 18 above zero Fahrenheit. The best keeping temperature for ice cream is generally considered to be about 5 above zero. 'I'he upper zone -of a cabinet is always warmer than the lower, both because of the natural tendency of warm air within the cabinet to rise and because of' the proximity of the upper zone to the top openings 2 through which Warm air from the outside enters whenever a lid is removed. To compensate for this tendencytoward unequal temperatures in the upper and lower zonesfcabinets are generally provided with a greater length of coil in the upper zone than in the lower, as is shown in Fig. 2. In other words, more refrigerating effort must be expended in the top of the cabinet than in the bottom. Notwithstanding such coil disposition, a considerable temperature ,dierential persists in cabinets unprovided with the new tray means.

For example, tests of such cabinets have shown mean temperatures of 10 in the upper cans and 6 in the' lower cans, or an average of 8, these readings being taken suicently long after replacing all the lids to give a true indication of what maybe regarded as permanent conditions. This temperature of the ice cream in the upper cans is too high for best preservation of the cream, but if it were reduced to the optimum point the cream in the lower cans would suier from too low temperatures. I

Similar tests of the cream in cabinets provided with the new tray means have shown upper can temperatures averaging 6 and lower temperatures of 4, or a mean of 5, which is the optimum. Neither of these extremes is appreciably above or below the optimum, so that all the cream is kept at practically ideal temperature conditions. The explanation of this result is probably that the partition formed by the several trays substantially isolates the upper zone from the lower, protecting the lower zone from warm air currents introduced when a lid is removed. The

, greater coil length present in the upper zone rapidly cools the warm air so admitted to the upper zone and confined thereto, and the isolated lower zone is never appreciably warmed by such air. Moreover, in many cases a lid is removed tol give access to an upper can, and no portion 9 ifs raised, and in such cases the quantity of outer air which can be admitted is materially limited by the fact that the effective volume of cabinet space opened to the outer air is substantially halved by the partition. The entire cabinet interior is not opened to swirling currents of outer air, as would be the case if no partition were present.

The trays are preferably made of sheet metal cf appropriate gauge and rigidity.

It will be appreciated that certa-in of the characteristics and features of the constructions herein explained, although desirable in themselves, may be dispensed with at the option of the designer without sacrificing other advantages of the essential invention. Various modications may be introduced. The essential features of patentable novelty are dened by the -appended claims, and all modified embodiments are to be considered within the scope and purview of the claims to the extent that they incorporate the broad principles of the invention set forth in the claims, which are to be construed as limited only by their express limitations and as required by.

receptacles of the lower tier. said tray comprising two portions, each having an area suiiicient to accommodate a receptacle of the upper tier,

hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of the lower tier while the other portion remains horizontally supported over an adjacent receptacle of the lov/c;` tier.

2. A cold storage cabinet for ice cream and the like comprising an insulated box having anopen top and closed sides and bottom adapted to contain superposed horizontal tiers of receptacles, closure means for the top of the cabinet, cooling means in heat exchange relation with the cabinet interior, and a receptacle-supporting itray resting on two adjacent receptacles of the lower tier and supporting a receptacle of the upper tier, said tray comprising two portions, each having an area suilicient to accommodate a receptacle of the upper tier, hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of the lower tier while the other portion rests on an adjacent receptacle of the lower tier.'

3. A cold storage cabinet for ice cream and the li'ke comprising an insulated box having an open top and closed sides and bottom adapted to contain superposed horizontal tiers of receptacles, closure means for the top of the cabinet, cooling means in heat exchange relation with the cabinet interior, a receptacle-supporting tray horizontaely supported over two adjacent receptacles of the lower tier, said traycomprising two portions, each having an area suicient to cover a receptacle of the lower tier and support a receptacle of A.he upper tier, hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of the closure means for the top of. the cabinet, cooling means in heat exchange relation with the cabinet interior, a .receptacle-supporting tray horizontally supported over two adjacent receptacles of the lower tier. said tray comprising two portions, each having an area suillcientto cover a receptacle of the lower tier and support a receptacle of the upper tier, hinged together -whereby one portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of the lower tier while the other portion remains horizontally supported over an adjacent receptacle of the lower tier, and ribs projecting above the upper surface of each of said portions for spacing the bottoniV of a receptacle of'the upper tier above said surface.

5. A cold storage cabinet for ice cream and the like comprising an insulated box having an open top and closed sides and bottom adapted to contain superposed horizontal tiers of. receptacles, closure means for the top of the cabinet, cooling means in heat exchange relation with the cabinetinterior, a receptacle-supporting tray resting on two adjacent receptacles of the lower tier and supporting a receptacle of the upper tier, said tray comprising two portions, each having an area sufficient to accommodate a receptacle of the upper tier, hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of the lower tier while the other portion rests on an adjacent receptacle of the lower tier, and ribs projecting below the lower surface of each of said portions for spacing said surface above the top of a receptacle of the lower tier.

6. A cold storage cabinet for ice cream and the like comprising an insulated box having an open top and closed sides and bottom adapted to contain superposed horizontal tiers of receptacles, closure means for the top of the cabinet, cooling means in heat exchange relation with the cabinet interior, a receptacle-supporting tray resting on two adjacent receptacles of the lower tier and supporting a receptacle oi' the upper tier, said tray comprising two portions, each having an area suiiicient to accommodate a receptacle of the-upper tier, hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of the lower tier while the other portion rests on an adjacent receptacle of the lower tier,l ribs projecting below the lower surface of each of said portions for spacing said surface above the top of a receptacle of. the lower tier, and ribs projecting above the upper surface of each of said portions for spacing the bottom of a receptacle of the upper tier above said surface.

7. A cold storage cabinet for ice cream and the like comprising an insulated box having an open top and closed sides and bottom adapted to contain superposed horizontal tiers of receptacles, closure means for the top of the cabinet, Acooling means in heat exchange relation with the cabinot interior, and a receptacle-supporting tray horizontally supported over two adjacent receptacles of the lower tier, said tray comprising two portions, each having an area suiiicient to accommodate a receptacle of the upper tier, hinged together wherebyone portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of. the lower tierl while the animeel closure means for the top of the cabinet, cooling means in heat exchange relation with the cabinet interior, and a receptacle-supporting tray horizontally supported` over two adjacent receptacles of the lower tier, said tray comprising two portions, each having an area suiiicient to accommodate a receptacle of the upper tier, hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of the lower tier while the .other portion remainsV horizontally supported over anadjacent receptacle of the lower tier, each portion having a shoulder adapted to abut the other portion to limit raising of the shouldered portion.

9. A cold storage cabinet for ice cream and the like comprising an insulated box having an open top and closed sides and bottom adapted to contain two sets of receptacles arranged side 'by side, each set comprising an upper tier and a upper tier, hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of the lower tier While the other portion remains horizontally vsupported over the adjacent receptacle of the lower tier.

10. A cold storage cabinet for ice cream and the like comprising an insulated box having an open top and closed sides and bottom adapted to contain superposed horizontal tiers of receptacles, closure means for the top of the cabinet, coolingmeans in heat exchange relation with the cabinet interior, and a, plurality of receptaclesupporting trays horizontally supported in the cabinet, each tray overlying two adjacent receptacles of the lower tier and supporting a receptacle of the upper tier and Acomprising two substantially imperforate portions hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to expose a receptacle of the lower tier while the other portion remains horizontally supported over an adjacent receptacle of the lower tier, and `all of said trays together, when the, portions thereof f are all in horizontal position, extending substanopen top and-closed sides and bottom adapted i to contain a tier of receptacles in the lower zone of the cabinet and a superposed tier of receptacles in ther upper zone,l closure means for the top of the cabinet, cooling means in heat exchange relation with the lower zone of the cabinet and cooling means of relatively greater-capacityin heat exchange relation with the upper zone, and a plurality of receptacle-supporting trays horizontally supported in the cabinetea,ch

tray overlying two adjacent receptacles in the lower zone and supporting a receptacle in the upper zone and comprising two substantially imperforateA portions hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to exposela receptacle in the lower zone while the other portion remains-horizontally supported over an adjacent receptacle in the lower zone, and all of said trays together, when the portions thereof are all in horizontal position, extending substantially continuously from end wall to end wall and from side wall to side wall of the cabinet and constituting a partition separating the upper zone of the cabinet from the lower and substantially preventing inter-zone heat transfer by convection.

12. A cold storage cabinet for ice cream and the like comprising an insulated box having an open top and closed sides and bottom adapted to contain superposed horizontal tiers of receptacles, closure means for the top of the cabinet, cooling means in heat exchange relation with the cabinet interior, and a receptacle-supporting tray horizontally supported over two adjacent receptacles oi' the lower tier, said tray comprising two portions, each having an area suilici'ent to accommodate a receptacle of the upper tier and substantially to cover one of said two receptacles of the lower tier, hinged together whereby one portion may be raised to expose one of said two receptacles while the other portion remains horg5 izontally supported over the other, in combination with a ge upstanding from the free edges of said p ortio adapted to prevent foreign matter on the portions from dropping into the receptacles of the lower tier.

13. A cold storage cabinet for ice cream and the like comprising an insulated box having an open top and closed sides and bottom adapted to contain superposed horizontal tiers of receptacles, closure means for the top of the cabinet, cooling means in heat exchange relation with the cabinet interior, and a receptacle-supporting tray horizontally supported over two adjacent receptacles of the lower tier, said tray comprising two portions, each having an imperforate area suicient to accommodate a receptacle of the 'upper tier and substantially to cover one of said two receptacles of the lower tier, hinged to'- gether whereby one portion may be raised to expose one of said two receptacles while the other portion remains horizontally supported over the other, in combination with a ilange upstandlng from the free edges of said portions adapted to prevent foreign matter on the portions from dropping into the receptacles of the lower tier.

WILLIAM P. CRISMAN. 

